While I think it’s pretty dumb to wear fur at this point, I also think it’s kind of mean to pick on poor Queen Elizabeth II. QEII wore some kind of (fox?) fur hat on Christmas day, plus a coat with a matching fur trim. And now PETA and various British animal rights groups are all up in arms. QEII is really old, though – my point being that she probably still thinks she’s living in a time when fur trimmings are considered the height of fashion. Plus, it’s really cold. What is she supposed to wear to church, polar fleece? Eh. Here’s more from The Daily Mail:

The Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall came under fire from animal rights campaigners ­yesterday after they both wore fur hats on Christmas Day. The Russian-style hats they wore to attend a church service in ­Sandringham with other members of the Royal Family were made from fur from different types of fox, claimed experts.

The Cossack-style hat worn by Camilla was made from ‘vintage fur’, by designer milliner Philip Treacy, using a piece of fur which had previously belonged to the duchess’s mother.

A spokesman for the Queen said she could not confirm if Her Majesty’s cream-coloured hat and matching coat trim were made from real fur but experts said they were convinced it was. Many fashion designers continue to use fur in their collections, and campaigners have expressed fears that it has come back into style. They have called on celebrities and members of the Royal Family to ‘set a good example’ by ­choosing not to wear animal pelts.

The Queen has worn fur in the past and her official robes for State occasions are trimmed with ermine, the winter coat of the stoat.

Camilla faced anger from animal rights organisations last year, when she wore fur twice during an official visit to Canada. First she wore a grey rabbit stole when she visited Newfoundland, together with a hat trimmed with fake fur. She then donned a calf-length cape lined with grey fox fur. Both pieces were said to have been ‘refashioned’ from vintage fur that had belonged to her grandmother, Sonia Cubitt, Baroness Ashcombe, whose mother, Alice Keppel, was a mistress of Edward VII.

The ethical question of ‘recycling’ vintage fur has split opinion, but Mr Tyler said: ‘It doesn’t matter when the animal was killed, it’s a body part and a product of cruelty.’

In 2000 Prince Edward’s wife Sophie apologised after she was seen wearing a fox fur hat. The Countess of Wessex said her decision to wear the hat on a skiing holiday in St Moritz, Switzerland, was ‘an error of judgment’.

Legislation to ban fur farming in Britain was passed that same year following a lengthy campaign ­highlighting the physical and ­psychological distress suffered by animals in some fur farms.

However, it remains legal to import fur and in China, now the world’s leading fur exporter, millions of animals who are killed for their fur are often skinned alive, according to the campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

A Peta spokesman said: ‘Britain is a nation of animal lovers and more than 90 per cent of Britons refuse to wear fur. We hope that Her Majesty will choose to wear something more humane in future, that better reflects the values of the British people.’

Should the Queen “set a good example”? Sure. They’re doing great things with faux fur (I have a faux snow leopard hoodie that the Queen can borrow!), and it would be cool to see the Queen embrace faux fur. Also – we have no proof that she’s wearing real fur, you know? Sure, it looks like real fur, and it probably is. But I await the Queen’s official statement, I’m just saying.

I know she’s old & the queen so she can do whatever, but that’s really no excuse for wearing fur (if it is real fur). She’s on facebook, has more than a few tvs(I’m sure), so she should be aware of how offensive this is to most people.

People get way too up in arms about fur. There are loads of people who go nuts over someone wearing fur and yet they never say anything about leather shoes or people eating meat. I say, if the animal is going to be killed anyway, it’s better to use all the parts. And, besides, it’s fox fur, not white tiger.

PETA should give props to the Queen for wearing vintage fur that’s actually recycling. I really hate PETA because instead of educating people about animal torture and real abuses they go after public figuires in the nastiest way meanwhile Pamela Anderson one of their spokespeople is driving around in a car with leather seats oh well.

I don’t get it. Unless you are vegan, why is fur any different than wearing leather or eating steak? Should we only eat animals and not wear them? Is wearing them extra barbaric? Does that somehow cross the line? The whole anti-fur thing is so irrational. Unless you’re willing to live the vegan lifestyle, you’re being a tad disingenuous.

@Giddified I get what you’re saying but in most cases these animals were not going to be killed anyway… after all I don’t think many people eat fox or stoat. That’s the difference between fur and leather IMO. Also, the majority of fur these days comes from China, where animal welfare standards are pretty much non-existent. The animals are raised in conditions that would not be accepted if they were being bred for meat in any western country. I’m not a PETA supporter but I think the whole business is pretty nasty and perhaps those who choose to wear fur should find out a bit more about its origins before making that decision.

Fur farming is particularly cruel, especially in China where most fur imports come from these days and there are no guidelines for ensuring animals are 100% dead prior to skinning. Get your facts straight before you say it’s not a big deal. It is to a lot of living creatures… Maybe just not to you..

Just because you find PETA annoying doesn’t mean we should all jump on the “fur is fine” bandwagon either.

My daughter gets disgusted by fur (she threw away an old rabbit coat given to her by her aunt a few years ago because she couldn’t sleep with it in her closet). When she cried and asked why people kill bunnies and minks to wear as coats, I told her that fur is really only worn by old ladies and the clueless at this point and I guess the old queen fits that bill about right.

Be careful about faux fur, especially if the garmet is made in China. Most of Chinese “faux” fur is actually racoon dog that is passed off as fake. There was a big story last year about Diddy and JayZ’s clothing lines containing racoon dog that was falsely labeled as fake fur. The designers weren’t even aware, or more likely pretended not to know when the story broke.

The animals are treated horribly in the fur industry and some raccoon dogs in China are skinned alive, just like animals are abused on factory farms, which is why we use neither fur or factory farmed meat. Not a PETA member or supporter, but there is no reason to torture animals and cause them pain. It shows a complete lack of humanity and feeling that is just disgusting. There is NO reason for animal cruelity, even if the animal will ultimately be used for food or clothing. To me, killing an animal just for clothing is tantamount to “hunters” who shoot animals in the forest and leave the animal to rot or just take the head to hang on the wall without using the meat. No reason for it. At all. This isn’t 1000 years ago when there were no other warm fabrics and people could only stay warm wearing a bear’s hide.

Poster 17: One thing I can guarantee you is that people in PETA are not gobbling hamburgers. Second, the fur in question is from an animal killed purely for its pelt, not for food. If you knew how some of those animals are killed to preserve the pelt, you might see a point to the anti fur statements.

All that being said, I think recycling vintage fur is a great idea rather than killing now. There’s a ton of old coats, stoles, hats, blah blah that could be reworked. So you could wear fur and still get props for not killing an animal for it.

BUT, what I’m really blown away by . . . (the Queen in fur? That’s like Prince in platorm boots; you expect it!) is she’s wearing BOOTS!! And not wellies either.

I don’t necesserily like that people wear real fur but out of curiosity, is faux fur as soft and warm as real fur? I would think not. For some reason, I forgive the Queen for wearing fur. What is she supposed to do with all the existing luxurious fur she already has in her closet? Throw it out or let it collect dust? I don’t think so.

I’m sure that is not a brand new fur coat… the Queen is not that insensitive.. she is from a time when fur was worn ALL THE TIME. At least she’s not wasting the beauty of the coat because she’s afraid of the back lash. I think she looks awesome and I also love her boots

Old people have had their furs for who knows how long and they probably don’t know or care that it’s not really the fashion anymore.

I don’t wear fur because it’s hot and itchy-in my opinion. But I don’t begrudge old people who have taken care of their furs and still wear them. Especially in colder climates. She’s 80+ and wearing some fur she’s probably had re-purposed.

first of all, i am amazed at people ‘forgiving’ the queen for wearing fur. Excuse me, but were you the one suffering in the fur farms? gosh this is ridicululous.
second, there is a huge difference in wearing leather and fur. the same difference between eating meat or veal. I dont wear or eat any, but I can understand that it is difficult to find shoes that are not leather, or that people do not want to give up meat, even though i think people should take responsability for all the environmental consequences involved.
fur and veal involve extreme levels of cruelty and pain towards animals, and there
is not need for that, because they can be easily substituted. Ifyou dont care about
all the suffering of animals just so that you can wear a little softer fur or eat
a little tender meat, so i honestly think you are extremely egocentric and cruel.
third, stop the idiotic comments about peta people eating hamburgers, i am sure all these people involved in animal rights organizations are deeply concerned about the issue and live accordingly.
and if peta kill animals it is because unfortunately many people still prefer to buy pets rather than adopting them, so how do you hold one organization responsable for all those abandoned dogs and cats? it is nit even logical. they have to kill becuase there is no way they can keep all of them. at least i believe they dont employ cruel methods.

grazi: “they have to kill becuase there is no way they can keep all of them.”

No they don’t actually. They could spend the millions they give to celebrities to pose nude for their ridiculous campaigns to sheltering and feeding the animals at no-kill shelters. That is, if they really did care about the thousands upon thousands of dogs and cats they “humanely” put down every year. Dogs and cats that, had they REALLY cared, they would have attempted to find homes for instead of euthanizing them and tossing them in garbage cans.

When I was little (I’m 46 now), my mom (who was born in 1925-I was”the mistake”) had this hard core mink and sable coat. I have no idea what it cost (a bundle?), but that was irrelevant to me. I got on her case about it from the time I was about six years old. She finally sold it for nothing to some opportunistic “friend” of hers to get me off her back. Wish the money had gone to charity (it was 1985 by then, might have been hard to put up for auction), but at least she respected my dedication to my cause.
I was very proud.

i’m not being sarcastic, but i’m wondering if it’s more acceptable to wear a fur that IS recycled (old). my mother gave me her full length mink from 1980 (not as much ‘awareness’ back then) and it’s just a regular classic style. can i wear it?

I’m not supportive of the fur factories in China, for any of the animal rights or quality reasons that people mentioned above.

However, it cracks me up when you have greenies against fur and support synthetic fabrics that require large amounts of (duh dah!) petrochemicals… not very environmental friendly.

Many of those older fur garments are from animals that were properly trapped and killed, and those natural fibers are some of the warmest you can find. Plus, nowadays you CAN find fur garments that ecologically and environmentally friendly.

In New Zealand, possums (more like stoats than American possums) are desimating the country, destroying habitats and fodder for native birds and livestock, plus they carry TB. Their pelts are highly prized and when combined with merino wool make amazing warm and soft garments.

So don’t swallow all the crap that PETA tries to stick down your throat. (And I have no idea what sort of fur the Queen is wearing, but I’m guessing it’s vintage and not from China)

REALLY? Ok first, its VINTAGE, not fresh for fresh, royal fashion. I think that should be considered recycling.

Second, it IS possible that she’s rocking faux, isn’t it?

Third, I’m using my touch and accidentally touched this article instead of another. I didn’t see/read the headline but started scrolling to see if the pictures piqued my interest first. Am I the only one that had to do a double-take of the 2nd pic and thought she was rocking a ‘fro?

As a lifelong environmentalist and animal rights advocate, I say it’s perfectly fine to wear vintage fur. VINTAGE. Because it’s-

A- Already dead. Vintage fur was harvested at a time when there was no notion of environmental management or animal welfare; setting fire to it or throwing it in a landfill is NOT going to change that. An animal died for it, so wasting it is unethical and just plain dumb. It is beautiful and fit for purpose and when I wear my vintage fur, I am always conscious of it’s origin and deeply appreciative of it’s status as a taonga or treasure.

B-more environmentally friendly than the modern petrochemical derived alternatives.

C- the modern fur industry hates you wearing and advocating vintage fur and nothing undermines it’s overpriced obscenity more than appreciating and using the fur we already have. Of course I don’t condone factory farmed industrial fur; to buy a new fur item is cruel and disgusting and Im the first person to rip the shit out of someone flaunting a new fur.

But the knee jerk ‘fur is murder’ stance is thoughtless, misguided, reactionary and hypocritical. If you’ve driven a car all your life and popped out a string of kids, you don’t need to be telling anyone else about their ethical responsibilities.

di butler, it depends on the faux fur. There are some very realistic ones these days that look just like the real thing. Besides, why would you want to look like a dead animal’s skin, anyway, since it was only beautiful when it was on the animal.

You know Camilla is trying her hardest to be like the Queen in her fur. Try hard.

Eh, The Queens old give her a break. She has all those children who are complete f- ups (exceot Andrew, he seems alright) and now has a Camilla jr on the way in the form of Katie Middleton. Plus she looks cute.

Pardon me folks but it was Camilla who was wearing the vintage fur not the Queen, no one knows if the Queen’s was new fur or vintage.

This fur thing is a bit like the abortion question, I say let people make up their own mind, no one needs some total stranger shoving their own brand of morality down someone else’s throat, I would never have an abortion and I would never wear real fur but that doesn’t mean I wish to take away some else’s right to make their own choices.

If everyone is really so concerned about the cruelty to animals aspect of this which is being cited as the number one reason for getting all righteous and outraged perhaps your priority should be the animal testing facilities and calling out anyone who buys products tested on animals. How about picketing all the supermarkets and malls and pointing out just what torture animals go through to provide you with that cheap bottle of shampoo or the latest celebrity endorsed perfume. Also keeping in mind these testing facilities are not in China but all over the USA and Europe.

@observer I have seen very high end faux furs. They do not begin to compare to real fur. They also don’t offer near the warmth. I grew up in the country, animals have a different purpose than for those who think meat comes in little plastic trays. I hold those people in the same regard as those who think they are so important they are saving the world by doing away with one little plastic bag at a time. They amaze me with their sheer narcisism.

When I found out I would be moving to Canada and Europe for two years, I bought a vintage fur from Toronto online. It is the warmest thing ever. I have faux, I have many other coats, but when it is -20, fur is the warmest ever. It’s vintage-those animals were probably trapped and wasting it would be a shame.
BTW, both of the furs in the pic are REAL. You can tell. In Canada I saw many wearing real fur, not so much in Holland, but since being in the UK for the last week, I have seen lots of real fur.
It’s freaking freezing here! I like my leather coats and boots too. No, I wouldn’t buy a new fur, but see no issue with vintage.

This makes me want to go out and buy some fur. Not because Queenie is a trend setter, but to piss off self righteous people like grazi.

You have your ethical stance on food and leather goods. Good for you. But don’t presume that you have any right to judge or dictate what the rest of us do. I’m changing my plans for lunch today, in honour of you grazi. I’m off to buy some veal, and will be thinking of you with every bite. Yum yum. (I’ll also be looking out for a dog to kick on my way to the shop). Just think, grazi, if you had been less self righteous, you could have saved two animals from cruelty today.

Also, no one is endorsing plastic shoes. Or polyester anything. Just not fur.

@Kiska – I’m from the Great White North as well. You’d be surprised at how much of the fur and fur trimmed items on sale here actually comes from China….. It’s just not obtained the same way you would expect…

Half the fur items in Old Montreal are sourced from China, as are almost all the fur trimmings of our winter coats. It really sucks….

“If everyone is really so concerned about the cruelty to animals aspect of this which is being cited as the number one reason for getting all righteous and outraged perhaps your priority should be the animal testing facilities and calling out anyone who buys products tested on animals.”

Actually, with all due respect, at least in America, it is illegal to market anything with ingredients that have not been tested on animals. ANYTHING. If they tell you ‘not tested on animals’ than they simply bought a formula from another manufacturer who has tested it. On animals.

Jesus H she is the queen and she is old! Can you tell your grandfather or grandmother to change? Its fur, not the tanned skins of little Asian Babies!
And on another note, CAN YOU LADIES STOP WRITING NOVELS IN THE COMMENTS?

I hate to disappoint you but nobody cares what you have to say for six paragraphs.

to people who don’t see the problem with wearing fur: do you eat fox? Mink? Ermine? No. You don’t. Noone does. Killing an animals specifically for its fur, for FASHION, is disgusting and just wrong. You can’t compare killing a cow and using all its parts w killing a fox only for its fur. If the entire animal is used… Good. Thats ok. But if its not, and if it was cruelly kept or killed… Then that us wrong. Its not ok for humans to treat non human animals like that. Everyone needs to watch the documentary Earthlings… Its on youtube in 3 parts. Hard to watch and a bit propagandaish but its NOT by PETA and its ALL TRUE.

I wish one of those PETA nut jobs would approach me about wearing fur, or worse, try some of fake blood tossing crap. After I finishing “taking names and numbers”, I’m going to make at least one of them eat his/her vegan leather shoes.

I don’t know what is worse. The fact that people still care about defunct Kings and Queens or the fact that the hippies are still crying for animal rights. Hey hippies, we are animals too. If I get blood on my fur coat it’s because I like my seal-pup extra raw when eating.

The Queen looks warm in the fur outfit. Really should be respectful to her & that is the important thing. We are so fortunate to have her civilized example. She does much good for animals & really cares about them.

Apparently, there are many among us who would have been going naked in primitive times (millions of years) and, up through modern history, were we to include American Indians and Eskimos. I don’t think that any substitute for leather shoes will be found in the future, unless you want plastic that isn’t biodegradable. So I would like a logical explanation as to which is better: real leather, or non-biodegradable products, including synthetic fabrics.

To take it further, isn’t it therefore mean to ‘hurt’ those cotton plants, or shearing sheep of their virgin coats?

Now then, what about all of you men who have that nasty habit of shaving your beards, of those among you who have the disgusting habit of shearing or shaving your body hair? What about you women and men that continue to be ‘mean’ about cutting your head hair? You really are ‘mean.